Macromolecule Virtual Lab Name: Go to the website: http://faculty.kirkwood.edu/apeterk/learningobjects/biologylabs.htm The most common organic compounds found in living organisms are lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids. Common foods, which often consist of plant materials or substances derived from animals, are also combinations of these organic compounds. Substances called indicators can be used to test for the presence of organic compounds. An indicator is a substance that changes in the presence of a particular compound. In this investigation, you will use several indicators to test for the presence of lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins in various foods. CARBOHYDRATES Scroll down to the bottom and click on Carbohydrate 1. What are some examples of carbohydrates? 2. How do you test for sugars? 3. Draw the lab set up and label the different test tubes. When heated, Benedict s solution will change from blue to green, yellow, orange, or red in the presence of a simple sugar, or monosaccharide. The more sugar, the more orange/red the solution should be. Click on Add Benedict s Reagent 1. What was the of each test tube (tt)? tt1 tt2 tt3 tt4 tt5 Click on Hot Water Bath In your drawing above, shade in the test tubes that showed a positive test for simple sugars.. 2. Which solutions changed s after adding hot water?
3. Which test tube had the greatest amount of sugar in it? How did you know? Click on Reset Experiment. Iodine will change from yellow-brown to blue-black in the presence of starch. Click on the scroll down bar on the right hand side and go to starches 1. What chemical is being added to the test tubes? 2. What should happen if starch is? Click on Add Iodine 1. Which solutions changed s? PROTEINS Biuret reagent changes from yellow to blue-violet in the presence of protein. Click on the tab marked protein. 1. What are the monomers that make up proteins? 2. What test do we use to test for proteins? 3. Draw and label the test tubes for the demonstration Click on Add Biuret Reagent In your diagram above, shade in the test tubes that showed a positive test for protein. 1. What solutions changed? 2. What does it mean? LIPIDS Click on tab marked Lipids Sudan III stain will dissolve in lipids and stain them red or orange. 1. What test is used for lipids? 2. How does it work?
3. What do the solutions change if lipids are? Click on add Sudan III 1. What solutions changed s? 2. What does this mean? EVERYDAY FOODS Click on the tab marked Everyday Foods Run the tests on each of the everyday foods. In the data table below. Record the of the test tube AFTER the test was run, and place a check mark in the boxes that showed a positive test. For the other foods in the data table, predict which tests you would expect the food to test positive for and what results you would get. Data Table Lipid Test Carbohydrate Test Protein Test Substance Sudan Lipids Iodine Starches Benedict s Sugars Biuret Proteins Gelatin Apple juice Ritz cracker Skim milk For the foods below, PREDICT which macromolecules they would test positive for. Bacon Candy Corn oil Bread Honey water Chicken Pasta
Analysis Questions: 1. Match the molecule to the chemical used to test for it and the that the chemical would change for a positive test. Macromolecule Reagent Color Change Sugar Biuret Reagent Green, Orange, or Red Protein Sudan III Blue-black Lipid Iodine Red or Orange Starch Benedict s Solution Blue-Violet 2. Which substances contained a protein? 3. Which substances contained lipids? 4. Which substance contained sugars? 5. Which substances contained carbohydrates? 6. How are the reagents useful in determining which macromolecules are? 7. A very thin slice is removed from a peanut and treated with Sudan III stain. Then a drop of Biuret reagent is added to the peanut slice. When you examine the peanut slice under a microscope, patches of red and blueviolet are visible. What conclusions can you draw from your examination?
8. A cracker crushed in water will test positive with iodine but negative with benedict s solution. A cracker crushed in water has another chemical called amylase added to it. After a few minutes, this cracker tests negative with iodine and positive with benedict s solution. Explain what happened. 9. Whole milk does not have any of the fat removed from it that skim milk does. What changes would you expect in tests run on whole milk compared to the results received from skim milk? 10. Fats can be saturated (containing no double bonds in their hydrocarbon chains) or unsaturated (containing 1 or more double bond in their hydrocarbon chains). Iodine (I 2) can be used to test whether a fat is saturated or unsaturated. When iodine is added to a saturated fat and the solution is heated, nothing happens. The solutions remains the brown of the iodine. When iodine is added to an unsaturated fat and the solution is heated, double bonds break and form bonds with the iodine atoms, removing the iodine (I 2) and causing the solution to turn clear. Predict which of the following oils would test positive (turn clear) if subjected to this test. -Vegetable Oil -Canola Oil -Coconut Oil -Olive Oil -Peanut Oil -Butter -Lard -Avocado Oil 11. Although the iodine test described above works very well, there is an even easier way to determine if the fat you are observing is saturated or unsaturated. Based on your predictions above and what you know about the above substances, what is the easier way? (hint: think about states of matter at room temperature).
12. Label the following illustrations, first with whether each one is carbohydrate, lipid, protein, or nucleic acid, and second as monomer or polymer. a. b. c. d. e. f.